BAJA'S BLOG

Interim Online Review 23/03/10

Hi Baja,

Nice clean blog - much easier on the eye; in terms of your drunk stapler, I'd suggest you avoid any kind of novelty item as posted - this is a pure exercise, so giving a regular stapler drunken characteristics is more challenging than doing so to something that is already anthropomorphic. Take a look at Jack's hole punch for a good compromise;

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_yaCwcTrSUNM/S6h_sa5AKgI/AAAAAAAAAm4/6j6qBxQ5pQY/s1600-h/3.jpg

In terms of story, remember you're in 'animation land' where it's possible to simply assert things; you need not spend time 'explaining' how the stapler got drunk - rather cut to the chase and shoe us the consequences; obviously, a drunk stapler would be an imprecise instrument, perhaps stapling everything in sight - certainly causing chaos on the desk or in the office; I like the videos you've posted - excellent for mapping movement onto your object; you will need some kind of beginning, middle and end - perhaps some kind of 'consequence' for the drunken stapler or predicament.

Remember too all that you've learned from unit 4 - that is, working at 16:9 and rule of thirds for strong composition, the contribution to story-telling made by particular shots and editing (montage etc.)

In terms of your written assignment, see following post for guidance re. the relationship between your introduction and the main body of your essay.

Use your introduction* to state clearly the investigative intention of your written assignment and the means by which you are going to support your discussion; for instance:

‘This essay will investigate the animated films of The Brothers Quay in relation to Freud’s theory of the Uncanny - with particular focus on Street of Crocodiles (1986) and The Comb (1990)…

Or

‘The stop-motion animator, Ray Harryhausen is arguably the father of modern day cinematic fantasy. What follows is an investigation of his life and work in relation to the development of special effects…’

Stylistically, it is often clarifying to begin with a key-note quote or bench mark statement that sets the scene for the discussion… for instance:

‘… the Brothers Quay's works are independent of any definable genre; indeed, the imitation of their unique style which can be observed in films of other animators are a complimentary gesture to the auteur style they have developed. Throughout their opus, a continuity can be observed - Quays' devotion to the marginal, the nobody and the unnoticed, elevated into the sublime…’ (Buchan: 1996)

In her essay, Shifting Realities – The Brothers Quay – Between Live Action and Animation, Suzanne Buchan observes that other animators have imitated the unique style of the Brothers Quay. This investigation seeks to trace that influence by comparing their short 1986 film, Street of Crocodiles with Henry Selick’s Coraline (2009)…

* If you can’t provide a succinct introduction for your discussion, chances are you’re not quite ready to write the essay. You need to make your argument clear – without one, you are submitting a ‘blancmange’.

When referring to a film for the first time, always give proper title (with capital letters!), release date and director; after that, you can use title only. Please check spelling of film title – if it’s a made-up word, the spell check won’t know the difference!

When referring to a person for the first time, use full name – after that, use surname only.

You must use Harvard Method for quotations!

Use footnotes for ‘additional’ information that is important or contextualizing but ‘outside’ of the main body of the essay.

Please double-space your written assignments!

You must provide a paper-copy at time of crit!